Bag-on-Valve (BOV) is a packaging technology that is used for pharmaceutical, over the counter, food and healthcare products. A conventional BOV system consists of a rolled-up multi-layered flexible pouch attached to an aerosol valve. In the production of a BOV container with product, compressed air or nitrogen is injected into an empty canister, and a cup having an aerosol valve assembly with the BOV bag attached, is crimped onto the container. The product to be dispensed is forced through the aerosol valve stem to fill the BOV bag. Finally, the actuator and cap are put in place.
An airless dispensing system includes, inter alia, an airless piston package or aluminum pouch airless package. An airless dispenser system includes a pump assembly includes a pump mechanism with an inlet valve that is configured to efficiently pump viscous fluids and that is able to be pre-primed when the pump mechanism is attached to a container. In one form, the inlet valve includes a seal member that seals an inlet port of the pump and an outer support member that secures the inlet valve to the rest of the pump mechanism. Two or more legs generally extend in a circumferential direction between the support member and the seal member in order to create a large flow opening for fluid flow through the inlet valve when opened and to rapidly close the inlet valve. The pump mechanism further includes an outlet valve that is configured to draw fluid back from a nozzle of the pump after dispensing in order to minimize build up around the nozzle.
Conventional airless type pumps are advantageous as some food products deteriorate when placed in contact with air, thus it is important to prevent air from entering the package when dispensing the product. In typical dispensing pump applications, air is allowed to enter the container via a venting path in order to equalize the pressure inside the pack as product is dispensed. Were this not the case, the container would progressively collapse or, in the case of rigid containers, the increasing vacuum in the container would exceed the ability of the dispensing pump to draw product out of the container.
In airless type dispensing systems, there are two common ways to evacuate the container holding the product, either by using a follower piston type design or a collapsible bag type design. In the follower piston type design, a rigid container, usually cylindrical or oval in form, has a follower piston that progressively reduces the container volume as product is drawn out by the dispensing pump. With the collapsible type design, a collapsing bag is attached to the dispensing pump, which progressively collapses as the contents are removed.
What is desired is a dispenser to which a filled BOV container or an airless type dispensing container can be interchangeably coupled, the dispenser having a mixing valve or chamber for mixing product from the product container with a product such as water, or alternatively, a bypass conduit for bypassing the mixing valve or chamber so as to allow only product from the BOV container or an airless type dispensing container to be dispensed from the dispenser.